Drawbench



pril, 1954 i... F. WHITE ETAL DRAWBENCH 1e sheets-shea i Filed Aug. 1d. 1949 -H IHNI FIL Maw-als' April 6, 1954 l.. F. WHITE ETAL 2,674,367 DRAWBENCH Filed Aug. 1o, 1949 ZDV 16 sheets-Sheet 2 April 6, 1954 F. WHITE Erm.

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DRAWBENQH Filed Aug. 10. 1949 16 Shet's-Sheet 5 April 6, 1954 F. WHITE ETA. 2,674,367

DRAWBENCH Filed Aug. 10, 1949 16 Sheets-Sheet 7 DRAWBENCH '16 Sheets-Sheet 8 'Filed Aug. lO, 1949 .April 6, 1954 L. F. wHn-E :TAL 2,674,367

DRAWBENCH Filed Aug. 1o, 1949 16 sheets-sheet 1o April 6,v 1954 Filed Aug. l0, 1949 '1... F, WHITE r-:TAL 2,674,367

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L. F. WHITE ET AL April 6, 1954 DRAWBENCH Filed Augi 1o, 1949 16 Sheets-Sheet 14 April 6, 1954 u.. F. WHITE :TAL 2,674,367

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EaNARn fr" h/H/I'E y effect eccentric drawing of the tube or rod, i. e. so as to draw the tube or rod on one side of the centre line of the machine. This enables the tubes or rods to be loaded into the die grippers with ease and facility, and also simpliiies the unloading and removal of the drawn tubes or rods. In addition, a machine constructed in this manner occupies less working space and possesses other operating advantages.

Another feature of the invention resides in the fact that grippers may be located in any desired position along the bed of the machine and are provided with power actuated jaw closing mechanism which can be set in operation by the operator by push button control means. rIhe gripper mechanism is also preferably provided with means whereby the gripper may move through a restricted distance in the same direction as the die during the initial movement of the latter the said movement of the gripper being resisted by a dashpot or like means, so that the commencement of the drawing operation takes place against resilient means in order to avoid an abrupt shock to the tube at the start of drawing.

The machine of our invention also embodies a number of safety measures so as to provide for stoppage of the die carriage at the end of its traverse in each direction, and so as to provide for possible over-running of the carriage. These measures include photoelectric means for applying brakes to the motor and to the driving mechanism of the die carriage when the carriage reaches a predetermined point adjacent to the gripper at the end of its traverse, while a further measure includes the provision of mechanical means for cutting off the electric power supply to the machine in the event that the carriage reaches a second predetermined point beyond the mst-mentioned point in its travel. A still further safety measure consists in providing a dashpot of a substantial length associated with the gripper mechanism, whereby the gripper may move rearwardly through a predetermined additional distance in the event of the die carriage over-running. A, further safety measure consists in providing a V-belt drive between the motor on the die carriage and the drivingr mechanism for such carriage, whereby in the event of the other measures failing, these belts are caused to disengage from their pulleys.

A further feature of the invention lies in ensuring that the tube or rod being drawn enters the moving die at right angles to the plane of such die, this being preferably effected by means of guide tubes disposed a short distance in advance of each die and through which the tube or rod being drawn is caused to pass prior to its entry to the die.

A still further feature of the invention consists in constructing the abutment or mounting for the die in such a manner that the tube or rod after passing completely through the die may fall downwardly without obstruction onto a stand or rack disposed at the side of the machine from which it may be removed by the operator when desired. For this purpose each die mounting or abutment may be provided with a downwardly open recess through the open lower end of which the drawn tube or rod may fall. The said recess also serves to accommodate the gripper which is adapted to be brought into proximity to the die at the commencement of the drawing operation.

A pair of dies is employed, one of which is used to draw tube or rod in one direction, and

the other to draw tube or rod in the other direction, and we provide automatic means for moving each die into operative position immediately prior to drawing with such die, the other die being automatically moved to the inoperative position at the same time. At the end of that traverse the positions of the dies are automatically reversed.

The drawing of tube by means of the moving die drawbench of this invention is made possible by the use of a oating plug. Floating plugs have been used previously in standard type drawbenches, but have not hitherto been used in a drawbench of the type contemplated by this invention. The floating plug comprises a free unanchored plug which is provided with a tapered or curved surface over Which the tube is drawn, and which remains balanced in the drawing position inside the tube in the die by the opposing forces of the pull on the shank cf the plug in the direction of drawing and the reaction or thrust on the ball or shoulder of the plug in the opposite direction. According to this invention a. floating plug is inserted in position in the tube prior to drawing, and when the end of the tube is fitted in the gripper, the oating plug is adjacent to the die and in the correct position relative to the die for the drawing operation. When drawing is effected, the iioating plug is moved along the tube by the die, and remains in the same relative position slightly in advance of the die during the drawing operation. When drawing of the tube is completed, the iioating plug falls out of the end of the tube and drops into a receptacle disposed at an appropriate point. The floating plugs are thus moved from one end of the machine to the other during the drawing operation, and are returned by the operator in the process of inserting the plug in a fresh tube, this insertion being preferably effected by blowing the plug along the tube by compressed air.

Having described the object and nature of this invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of the invention. In these drawings- Figures 1 and la (which are shown on separate sheets for convenience of illustration) comprise a side elevation of a drawbench constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figures 2 and 2a (which are also shown on separate sheets) .comprise a plan View of the machine shown in Figures 1 and la.

Figure 3 is a view in sectional end elevation taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l.

Figure 4 is a view in sectional end elevation taken on the line 4--4 of Figure 1a.

Figure 5 is a view in sectional end elevation taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 1a.

Figure 6 is a view in sectional side elevation of the die carriage.

Figure 7 is a view in sectional end elevation of the die carriage.

Figure 8 is a View in end elevation of the die and die holder in operative position.

Figure 9 is a similar view of Figure S showing the die and die holder partly raised towards the inoperative position.

Figure 10 is a sectional view on the line lil-l! of Figure 8.

Figure 1l is a sectional view taken on the line H-il of Figure 9.

, Figure 12 is a sectional view taken on the line |2-I2 of Figure 11.

Yso as to be movable aca-4,367

Figure13 isz a vsectional plan view-"of lthedie changing mechanism.

Figure 14 is a-sectional view taken 'oni the Aline |4|4of Figure 13.

Figure 1`5-is a sectional view taken on-vthe .line l5-l5ofFigure 13.

Figure 16 is 'a' viewin showing' the mechanism tion of the-fixed saddle.

Figure 17 is a view in showing the mechanism saddle'in position.

Figure 131s a View in sectional side elevation showing the mechanism for connecting the gripper'saddle and xed saddle.

Figure 19 isa view in sectional side elevation showing the over-run switch mechanism.

Figure 20 isa viewinend'elevationof a'gripper.

Figure 21 is a view iii/"sectional sideelevation sectional end elevation for'adjusting the posisectionalA end elevation for locking the ixed of the gripper actuating mechanism, and iistaken' on the line Zl-Zi of Figure 20.

Figure 22 is a plan'view of. the mechanism Ashown in .Figure 21.

Figure '23 is a sectional view showing the mechanism' for locking the ejector plate in/position.

Figure 24 is a sectional view taken on the line 24-24 `cf Figure 23, and

Figure 25 isfa view in sectional side elevation of the dash pot mechanism.

Fig. 26 is a sectional view showing a floating plug in position in the tube during the drawing operation.

.Figure 27 is a sectional view showing the method of tube drawing using a iioating plug.

Referring to the drawings, a moving die drawbench is illustrated which comprises a bed 35 supported'on a foundation 3l by means of adjusting screws 32 and extending the full length of themachine. The bed 3l) isprovided with a pair of parallel slideways 33 which also extend the full length of the machine. A die carriage 34`is slidablymounted on the slideways 33 longitudinally of themachine. The die carriage is provided with horizontal surfaces which engage theupper horizontal `surfaces of the slideways 33 and with vertical faces of one only of said slideways 33.

Means are provided to ensure continuous lubrication of theengagingffaces ofthedie carriage 34l and'slideways afi-during motion. of the carriage.

A pair of toothed racks 35 extend longitudinallyof the machine beneath the slideways 33 and within the bed and are secured to the bed 3B by dowel pins 36 at intervals along the bed` 3l). The carriage is driven along the bed .by four drive pinions 3l which engage the racks and are driven through differential gearing and belt drive by an electric drive motor) mounted on the carriagel34.

.Thecarriage 34 vis provided with'a differential casing 39which depends between. the slideways 313 andwithin the interior of the bed 3i), and two drive pinions 3l are disposed on each side of the casing 39 so'as to engage the teeth on the underside of each rack 35. Each'drive pinion 37 is mounted on a drive shaft 4i) which is rotatable in ball bearings 4l, 42 in the easing 39, and the saiddrive shafts 43 are drivenby a pair of secondary differentials 43, 4d of the bevel gear type mounted at opposite ends of the carriage 34. Each secondary diiferential is fitted with a worm Wheel45 which is driven-by al secondary worm 46mounted on aisecondaryv wormfshaft 41 above motor 38 (main the worm wheel-45. The secondaryfworm shafts 41 extend longitudinally of the carriage 34" and are `rotatable in ball bearings 48 mountedin--said casing 39. The inner ends of the secondary worm shafts 41 are driven by a primary diiferential 49 of the spurA gear type mounted centrally inthe upper portion of the carriage 34. The primary differential 49 is provided with a primary worm wheel 50 which is driven by ya primary worm 5| on a primary worm shaft v52- carried rotatably in ball bearings 53 mounted in the upper part of the carriage 34. The primary worm shaft 52 extends to one side of thecarriage 34 and is fittedv with a pulley 54 having a plurality of grooves for a series of V-belts 55.

The'main drive motor 38 is mounted on the carriage 34 at one end thereof and is also provided on its shaft with a pulley 53 in lateral alignment with the pulley 54 on the primary worm shaft 52. The pulleys 54, 55 are connected by an appropriate number of V-belts 55. .The motor mounting 5l' is supported slidably on guides 53 secured to the carriage 34 and an adjusting screw 59 is provided foradjusting the position of the motor mounting 51 on said guides 58fand a locknut 60 serves to lock the mounting 5'! in any position to which it is moved.

The pulleys 55, 5E are extended to form brake drums 6|, 62 respectively and solenoid brakes E3, 54 are fitted on these pulleys, the said brakes 53, 54 being supported on platforms 65 extending laterally from and secured vto the carriage frame. The brakes 63, 5d are actuated to the braking position by springs 63' (Fig. 1) andrd (Fig. 3). The brakes are held in the non-breaking position by the solenoids 35. When the carriage 3d reaches a predetermined position at each end of its traverse, an arm on the carriage interrupts a light beam which is directed onto a photo-electric cell (as hereinafter described) and this operates a limit switch which cuts off the current to the solenoids 55 and causes the solenoid brakesi, 54 to be applied so as to stop the carriage.

By means of the drivingmechanism above described, it will be' appreciated that uniform driving forces are applied to the four drive pinions 3'! irrespective of the eccentric forces applied to the carriage 34 during its movement by the dies which, asv will be explained later, are mounted on onelside of the carriage. Moreover, owing to the arrangement of differentials 43, 44,V 49, it willbe seen that the carriage 34 will stop if anyone ofthe drive pinions 3'I`should become loose or break.

A main lubricating pump 65 is mounted on the carriage3'4, and is driven byan electric motor'Sv'l, The pump `65 functionsto supply oil under pressure to the slideways 33 so that the carriage 34 slides on a iilm of oil, thus reducing wear on the slideways 33 to a negligible quantity. The oil forcedon to the slideways is picked up by a wiper 5B during the motion of the carriage, andthe'spent oil, after lubrication of the slideways, flows downwardly into troughs 6B formed on the bed 3G ateach side thereof, and from thence it flows into the interior of the bed 30 and'is collected in the bottom of the bed whichfunctions as a sump 1li. A pick-up nozzle li is provided on the lower end of a pipe 'l2 to pick up oil from the sump 10, and this oil is pumped through lters 13 prior to its use again for lubrication. A pressure switch T4 is provided adjacent t'othe main pump 66 to ensure that the main motor 38 cannot start until the oil "in -the main lubricating system reaches a predetermined pressure.

A secondary lubricating system is provided for lubricating the shaft bearings of the carriage driving mechanism. The pump 15 for operating this system is a plunger type pump and is actuated by an eccentric 1B on the end of one of the secondary Worin shafts 41. The oil is pumped through a lter 11 and from thence to the bearings of the drive mechanism.

Current to drive the motors 38 and 61 is obtainable from trolley wires 1B extending longitudinally of and on one side of the machine. The Wires 18 are supported on insulators 19 secured to brackets 19a attached to the bed 30, and an electrical trolley 80 having pulleys 8| in engagement with the wires 18 is mounted on the carriage 34.

A pair of dies 82, 83 is provided on the die carriage 34, the said dies being mounted at an appropriate distance apart, and being disposed so as to draw tubes or rods in opposite directions. When viewing the machine from the operators side, i. e. from the side oi the machine on which the dies are placed, the left hand die 82 is used for drawing when the carriage is moving from left to right, and the right hand die 83 is used for drawing when the carriage is moving from right to left. This terminology with respect to the dies will be used in the ensuing description.

Each die 82, 83 is mounted in a die holder 04 (or 85) which is capable of rotation about a horizontal axis into an operative position (see Figure 8) in which the die holder 84 (or 85) is located in engagement along three sides with a die abutment bracket 86 (or 81) or into an inoperative position in which the die holder 84 (or 85) is swung upwardly out of engagement with the die abutment bracket 8B or 81 (see Figure 9). The die 82, 83 is held in an aperture in the die holder 84 by a die holder locking ring 84a (see Figure l1). Each die abutment bracket 86 or 81 is secured rigidly to the carriage 34 and is furnished with a downwardly open recess 88 or aperture through which the gripper is adapted to iit when the carriage is moved to an end position, whereby the gripper can be brought into close proximity with the die 82, 83.

Each die holder 84, 85 is mounted on and secured to a die holder shaft 89, 90 rotatably supported in bearings 9i on the die abutment bracket 86, 81. The actuation of the die holder shafts 89, 95| is described later. When the die 'holder 84. 85 swings downwardly to its lowermost or operative position it engages a spring loaded wedge 92 (see Figure 10). The wedge 92 is actuated towards the die holder by a spring 93 located between it and a wedge cap 94 secured to the die abutment bracket. The die holder 84, 85 is recessed slightly to form an inclined shoulder 95 which engages the wedge 92. The die holder 84, 85 is thus held firmly but releasably in its operative position.

The tube or rod 95 being drawn is fed through a guide tube 91 into the die 82 or 83. Each guide tube 91 is slightly flared at each end and is held in a guide tube holder 98 secured to the die abutment bracket 86, 81. The guide tube 91 is held in the guide tube holder 98 by a clamp 99 which is tightened by a knurled nut on a clamp bolt (see Figure l2).

The mechanism for changing the positions of the die holders 84, 65 is illustrated in Figures 13, 14. and 15. A pair of die changing push rods |02, |03 are slidably mounted in push rod guides -tions.

|04 secured to a crank case |05 mounted on the die carriage 34. The die changing push rods |02, |03 are adapted to engage push rod stops |05, |81 mounted on the gripper saddles, as shown in Figures 2 and 2a, when the die carriage 34 approaches the end of its travel in each direction. By this means the die changing push rods |02, |03 are moved longitudinally in the push rod guides |04. The inner ends of the die changing push rods |02, |03 are secured to the ends of a rack |08 (see Figure 14) which is in engagement with a pinion |09. The pinion is keyed to a pinion shaft |0 which is rotatable in bearings in the crank case |05. The pinion shaft ||0 is connected by bevel gears I, I2 to a crank shaft ||3 which is rotatable in bearings ||4, ||5 supported in the crank case |05, the crank shaft ||3 being at right angles to the pinion shaft ||0 and extending longitudinally of the machine. Cranks H6, ||1 are secured to the ends of the crank shaft ||3 and are connected by connecting rods ||8, ||9 to actuating levers |20, |2| secured to the die holder shafts 89, 90. The die holder shafts 89, 90 are rotatably supported adjacent to the actuating levers |20, |2| by bearings carried in brackets |22 secured to the die carriage 34.

The cranks ||6, ||1 are arranged in diametrically opposed positions so that the positions of the die holder shafts 89, 90 and the die holders 84, are reversed when the die changing mechanism is actuated. The connectingy rods ||8, H9 are each telescopic, the two parts of each connecting rod being relatively movable (to shorten the connecting rods) against the action of a spring |28 and outward relative movement of the parts being limited by a stop screw |24. An inspection opening |25 is provided in the crank case |95 and is closed by a cover plate |25.

Movement of the die changing push rods |02, |03 in one direction when the die carriage 34 approaches the end of its travel causes the pinion |09 to be rota-ted by the rack |08 and this rotation is transmitted to the crank shaft |3 by the bevel gears H2, the cranks IIS, ||1 are thereby rotated and in turn impart rotation through a xed angular distance to the die holder shafts 99, by means of the connecting rods H8, ||9 and actuating levers |20, |2|. The extent of the rotation imparted to the die holder shafts 89, 90 is such that the die holders 84, 85 are reversed in position, i. e. the die holder which is in the operative position is moved upwardly to the inoperative position, and the die holder which is in the inoperative position is moved downwardly to the operatve position. If the die carriage is approaching the left hand end of the machine the right end die holder is moved to the inoperative position and the left hand die holder is moved to the operative position.

Mechanism is provided (see Figure 15) to retain the cranks H6, H1 in their limiting posi-` This comprises a spring loaded plunger |21 which is slidable in a recess formed between a cover plate |28 and the crank case |05, the

plunger |21 being urged outwardly by a plunger spring |29, the inner end of which bears against a stop plug |38. A roller |3| is rotatably mounted on the outer end of the plunger |21 and engages the inner surface of the crank ||5 or ||1. When the crank is in its limiting position the roller |3| engages in a recess 32 formed in the crank. 'I'his retains the die holders 84, 85 in their limiting positions and the plunger |21 is readily depressed to allow movement of the crank I6 or ||1 when 

